A good friend of mine, Bobby McGraw, expands on a sermon his pastor preached about the power of our speech. In this article, we see the book of Proverbs come to life with advice we should all follow.

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My pastor recently spoke about the power of the tongue and it caused me to really think. The Bible says in Proverbs 10:11, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” God obviously loves life. Throughout the pages of scripture he promotes life and not death. What is amazing is this one verse uncovers an often overlooked source of life: THE MOUTH.

Your mouth can be life-giving. Stop and think about that: You can give life!

The writer of Proverbs doesn’t say that your mouth is a FACTORY of life…instead, it’s a FOUNTAIN.

Too many people try to live their lives as a factory. They work. They sweat. They worker harder. They try to produce something that must be manufactured. It does not occur naturally.

That’s the difference between a factory and a fountain. A fountain doesn’t produce something artificial. Instead, it flows. It’s genuine. It’s authentic. A righteous person doesn’t have to work at being a fountain. They don’t have to muster up something artificial. Instead, as a fountain, life simply flows from their lips.

The writer stipulates that not just any mouth is a fountain. It’s the mouth of the righteous. To be righteous is not the same thing as being self-righteous, comparing ourselves to others. It means that we are rooted in God. We trust him, live with him and gain wisdom from him. Righteousness is being in Christ and living by faith in his power and grace and wisdom.

When you have that kind of relationship, Jesus makes your mouth a fountain of life. What is flowing from your mouth?

My pastor suggested three things:
1. Use your mouth to feed – Proverbs 10:21 says, “The lips of the righteous feed many.”
2. Use your mouth to heal – Proverbs 12:18 says, “The tongue of the wise brings healing.”
3. Use your mouth to protect – Proverbs 12:6 says, “The mouth of the upright delivers men.”

How are you doing in this area? Is life is flowing out of your mouth? If it isn’t, realize that it is from your heart that your mouth speaks. Commit to live in God and rely on him this week. Ask him to produce a fresh, living fountain in you.